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Having previously considered the deity of Christ and His pre-existence, in reality, we have already begun to explore
His mighty power. Because Jesus is in every sense God, we know that He possesses tremendous power. As the sovereign
Ruler of the universe, all might and power belong to Christ because He is declared to be “omnipotent” (Revelation 19:6).
Hopefully, you noticed that His omnipotent powers were evident during His pre-existence, especially at the time
of the creation of the world. According to the Genesis record, He literally spoke all things into existence, and they were
created simply by His power. (See Genesis, Chapter 1.) In the New Testament, John reminds us that Jesus is the living,
incarnate Word by whom all things now exist. John 1:3 says, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made.” There can be no greater testimony of the power of Christ than the vast universe which
He created.
Having established that He possessed sovereign powers in the beginning, let us move forward in time and
focus our attention on the powers of Christ during the years He lived and walked on this earth. At the tender age of
twelve, Christ revealed His great wisdom when He entered the Temple and confounded the doctors of His day (Luke 2:
46-47). But it was not until Jesus began His public ministry that He revealed His mighty powers. Christ’s first miracle
was performed at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee where He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). What an astounding
display of His power! This was only the beginning; more acts of power would soon follow.
The power of Jesus Christ would be displayed through many miracles during His stay on earth. One type of miracle
that seemed to have special benefits was His power to heal the sick. Though a number of miraculous healings could be cited,
one of the most memorable was the healing of a Roman centurion’s servant. On that occasion Jesus healed a man who
was a great distance away, bestowing the blessing of healing without personal contact with the man who was sick. The
Roman officer had expressed faith in Christ’s ability to heal precisely as He did. He said, “Wherefore neither thought I
myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under
authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to
my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” (Luke 7:7-8). Jesus commended his faith and healed the servant (Luke 7:9). What
a wonderful testament to the great power of Jesus.
Although space will not permit us to consider all the miracles of healing, in each case we find that Christ blessed
people as He displayed His magnificent power. Another such intriguing miracle was about a woman who had suffered for
twelve long years. She had gone to physician after physician and none of them could help her. In spite of their efforts, her
condition gradually worsened. In desperation, she continued to seek help even though she had exhausted all of her
resources. When she finally found the great Physician, she touched the hem of His garments and virtue graciously flowed
to heal her immediately and completely (Mark 5:25-34). Jesus said her faith had made her whole (Mark 5:34), for in
loving response to her faith, He worked another miracle of healing.
Christ also manifested His power by feeding the multitudes. The New Testament tells of at least two such
occasions. He fed more than four thousand on one occasion and over five thousand on another. (See Matthew 14:15-21
and 15:32-38.) However, since we are considering the power of Christ, we will focus on the feeding of the larger crowd. In
John’s record of the event, we are told that a little boy gave his lunch to Jesus (John 6:9). It consisted of only five barley
loaves and two small fish. “But what are they among so many?” declared one of the Lord’s disciples. Indeed, what a
small amount of food for such an enormous crowd of people. Yet, in the hands of Jesus it was more than adequate, for
everyone ate and twelve baskets of fragments remained (John 6:13). The power of Christ was more than adequate to meet
the need. He simply took the food, blessed it, and by His miraculous power the people were fed and strengthened for
their journey home. What power!
The tremendous power of Christ was displayed in other ways. On one occasion He calmed the stormy sea and
displayed His power over the forces of nature. On that occasion, Jesus and His disciples were crossing the sea of
Galilee in a small fishing vessel. A storm blew up rather suddenly, and the situation became serious when it looked as
if the boat would sink. The disciples became afraid and went to Jesus for help. They said, “Master, carest thou not that we
perish?” (Mark 4:39). Christ questioned their faith and then did something probably none of them expected. He rebuked
the wind and the sea and there was a great calm (Matthew 8:26). In awe, they asked a question so profound that
searching hearts have repeated it throughout the ages. Here is the question, “What manner (kind) of man is this, that even
the winds and sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:27). The answer: He is God, with unexplainable power. What a powerful and
wonderful Savior!
Perhaps the most remarkable way in which Christ displayed His power and deity was when He raised the dead.
On at least three distinctly different occasions, Christ raised the dead, according to the scriptures. First, He raised the
twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus. She had been dead only a short time (Luke 8:41-42 & 49-56). Then, Jesus stopped a
funeral procession and raised the son of a widow from Nain (Luke 7:11-17). After that, Christ raised Lazarus, the beloved
brother of Mary and Martha. Apparently, he had been dead longer than those previously mentioned for the Bible tells us
he had been dead four days when Christ raised him (John 11:39). By the power of Christ, each of them was restored to
life and returned to their families.
However, more important by far, is the fact that Jesus died and rose to live again. He had power to lay down his life
and power to take it up again. He said, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:18). How can our
finite minds possibly understand such supernatural power as possessed by Christ? Though we cannot understand it, we
can believe it by faith. Our future hope of resurrection is based upon the fact that Christ died and rose again. Thank
God!
Conclusion
Our Lord Jesus Christ said,“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). By His power,
Christ saved us and someday He will return to take us to heaven. All of our hopes for time and eternity are dependent
upon His mighty power. No power on earth can compare to the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we truly trust His power, we will find joy and assurance. As we ponder His power, we can find strength and
comfort in the worst of times. By His power, we are able to accomplish great things (Philippians 4:13). Therefore, the
message of His marvelous power should cause us to give Him praise and glory.
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